Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. Seniors Are Disabled

Share On Social!

A new report from the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics has found that nearly 25% of all Americans over the age of 65 have some form of disability. The forum found that nearly a quarter of all seniors say that they have at least one limitation in vision, hearing, mobility, communication, cognition or self-care.

“Many Americans enjoy longer lives, though with some functional limitations,” according to a news release from the report’s authors.

The findings mean that millions of American, more often spouses and/or children, are becoming caregivers for disabled aging family members. In most cases, according to the report, the burden is rarely excessive.

“[About] 86 percent reported that informal caregiving gives them satisfaction that the care recipient is well cared for,” the Forum said.

Caregivers often reported a downside to looking after the loved one, in terms of workload or having less time for themselves. Less than one in five caregivers reported that these negative impacts were a “substantial problem.”

In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved.

In 2014, about 1.2 million Americans 65 and older were living in nursing homes and nearly 780,000 lived in residential care communities, such as assisted living facilities. People older than 85 were the majority in both groups, according to the report.

The Administration for Community Living reported that, in 2014, there were 3.6 million Latinos over the age of 65. This was the largest population of any race and was projected to grow to 21.5 million by 2060. In 2014, Hispanics made up 8% of the older population. By 2060, the percentage of the older population that is Hispanic is projected to be 22%. There were also 5,272 Latinos aged 100 years and over (1,397 men and 3,875 women) in 2014 and they comprised 7% of all centenarians.

The report’s investigators determined that, when it comes to daily diet, Americans aged 75 or over tend to meet dietary recommendations for whole fruits, and those aged 65 and older meet daily protein intake requirements. Many seniors are also breathing cleaner air. The percentage of people age 65 and over living in counties that experienced poor air quality decreased from 66% in 2000 to 16% in 2014.

Despite improvements in income levels for seniors, many still struggle financially. Overall, the number of older Americans living below the poverty line fell from 15% in 1974 to 10% in 2014. Between 1983 and 2013, the median net worth, in 2013 dollars, of households headed by people 65 and older rose from $116,500 to $210,500.

For Latino seniors, nearly 70% in 2013 lived in just four states: California, Texas, Florida, and New York. The report included 41 indicators of well-being in six broad categories: population; economics; health status; health risks and behavior; health care; and environment.